The first step out of bed shouldn't be agonizing, but unfortunately for many, stiff and sore feet are a regular part of the morning routine.
Foot pain is problematic for millions of people every day, from dull, shooting aches to sharp, shooting sensations. For some people, the pain only occurs at night or when they sleep. This can disrupt sleep and make it difficult to get high-quality sleep.
Causes
Nocturnal leg cramps occur while we are sleeping or lying down. We can feel them in the calves and thighs. Pain can also travel up the foot to the ankle and lower leg.
little blood flow
Bedtime is the only time of day when you don't move your feet or put weight on them. But here's the thing: Joints, tendons, and muscles crave movement, so a lack of that during a night's sleep will result in a stiff feeling the next day.
Once you start moving, you increase blood flow to your feet, which also warms the tissues and improves elasticity and mobility.
The solution is to keep moving. Most morning stiffness resolves after walking for a few minutes.
Stress in the feet days before
Often the amount of pain you feel in the morning is related to the degree of stress your feet experienced the day before. It's important to think of exercise of any kind, even something as simple as walking, as a stimulus that causes fatigue.
Meaning, if your feet are sore and stiff the day after a heavy sweating session, you may be experiencing late-onset muscle pain, which is the mildest form of fatigue-induced microtear.
When this overload occurs, your body tries to make repairs at night when your feet are at rest. Whether you've had a hard workout, ran a 10K, or have an injury like plantar fasciitis, your body is working hard while you sleep to heal itself.
Your body repairs these microtears by laying down collagen fibers, which are stiff before integrating better as you move. That is, the healing process itself can also contribute to foot pain.
The only solution is if delayed-onset muscle soreness is the source of your stiffness, don't worry. Generally, tu body repairs itself in 24 to 72 hours.
Still, pay attention to your pain. If morning sickness is recurring, it may be a sign that you are overworking your feet, which can lead to injury. To avoid this, make sure you balance activity with good recovery. Foam roll, stretch, get plenty of sleep, and get proper nutrition.
Morton's neuroma
Morton's neuroma is another common cause of foot pain. It causes a type of sharp or burning pain in the ball of the foot. Many people notice that it feels like walking on a marble or pebble. Technically, a neuroma is a benign or non-cancerous tumor of a nerve. Morton's neuroma more accurately refers to a thickening of the tissue that surrounds one of the small nerves between the toes. These are called interdigital nerves.
Shooting or burning pain in the ball of the foot can spread between two toes. It is most common to feel this between the third and fourth toes. The foot may be numb with pain that worsens with activity or wearing shoes.
The cause of Morton's neuroma has not been fully understood. Experts believe that certain factors, such as having flat feet or wearing narrow, tight shoes such as high heels, can cause increased pressure. This can cause injury to the tissue surrounding an interdigital nerve.
Proper shoe inserts that take pressure off the toe bones can relieve foot pain caused by Morton's neuroma. A roomy, wide-toed shoe that allows the toes to spread can help. Sometimes, if the pain doesn't go away, your health care provider may inject the affected area with a steroid.
Bad posture
Researchers estimate that more than 3% of people have ankle osteoarthritis. This condition can cause the ankle to stiffen and hurt while we sleep. These symptoms are likely caused by ankle positions or a lack of movement that occurs while we sleep.
Even though head pillows are our best friend when it comes to other types of pain, in this case, we can lie on our back without a pillow under our head. So we can put a stack of pillows under our ankles so it's elevated while we sleep.
The ideal sleeping position is keep your feet approximately shoulder-width apart and let the arms hang naturally at the sides of the body. For a good night's rest, finding the right mattress for your body is crucial. A firm mattress is recommended, but some find that softer mattresses reduce back pain.
Injury
Too much load on any tissue can cause microtears, which over time can lead to pain and injury.
Frequent foot pain in the morning is one of the first signs that you're on the path to a more serious problem or overuse injury like foot pain. chronic tendinopathy, which causes inflammation, irritation or long-term deterioration of the tendons.
Chronic problems need chronic solutions. To help decrease discomfort, try to reduce activities that cause foot pain and stretch daily. If the pain persists, you may need to seek the help of a doctor or physical therapist who can help you with a proper treatment plan.
The best way to fix a longstanding tendon problem is to take a slow and steady approach to loading the tissue to promote healing, such as a graduated walking program or a specific loaded exercise program targeted at a particular joint.
Achilles Tendinitis
The Achilles tendon is the large tendon that runs down the back of the leg and connects the calf muscles to the heel. This tendon can become inflamed or irritated in a condition known as Achilles tendonitis. This normally causes pain and stiffness in the feet in the morning when we get out of bed.
A person with Achilles tendonitis may experience pain in the tendon itself or at the edge of the heel bone at what we call the tendon attachment area. Other common symptoms may include difficulty flexing the foot or pointing the toes, swelling or tenderness in the Achilles tendon, and weakness in the legs.
Plantar fasciitis
A form of tendinopathy, called plantar fasciitis, is one of the most common culprits for heel pain. This condition occurs when you strain and inflame the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes.
Plantar fasciitis is a condition in which the plantar fascia, a thick ligament on the bottom of the foot, becomes irritated. Symptoms include stiffness or pain in the heels or feet. Symptoms may worsen in the morning due to poor blood supply to the heel and foot area when you are at rest.
Plantar fasciitis is a common injury for runners and other athletes. Running puts a lot of pressure on the feet and heels. Cross training a few times a week with activities like cycling and swimming can help.
If we have plantar fasciitis, it usually takes a few minutes of activity, such as walking for a few minutes, to warm up the area and relieve pain.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. This can result in something called myxedema, a condition that causes dry, thick skin, sometimes on the feet. The skin on the feet can become so thick that it starts to crack and becomes very painful.
In a condition called tarsal tunnel syndrome, this thick skin can also put pressure on a part of the foot called the tarsal tunnel, a small space that contains many nerves and blood vessels, causing pain.
There are several factors that contribute to hypothyroidism. For example, it is more common in women and in people with a family history of hypothyroidism or autoimmune diseases.
Arthritis
Chronic foot pain, stiffness, and swelling can also be the result of joint inflammation and indicate arthritis.
La osteoarthritis, also known as "wear and tear" arthritis, the most common type, is usually related to aging, but other factors can increase your risk, such as joint injuries, obesity, genetic and anatomical problems such as the shape and alignment of your the joints.
For a proper diagnosis, you should consult a medical professional.
To reduce stress on your feet, switch from high-impact activities (like jogging or tennis) to lower-impact activities (like swimming or biking).
keep a healthy weight it will also help reduce stress on the joints, leading to less pain and better function, while physiotherapy can improve your flexibility and range of motion and strengthen the muscles in your feet.
Also, your doctor may recommend that you use custom-made shoes or orthotics (shoe inserts), which can decrease pressure on your feet and reduce your pain.
Flat feet
This condition, known as flat feet and sunken arches, occurs when we have no or very flat arches. This lack of arch causes the ball of the foot to touch the ground when standing, rather than just the heel and ball of the foot.
Although flat feet may not cause pain on their own, they can lead to painful swelling in the arch and heel. This pain is caused by a lack of support for the ligaments and muscles of the foot, which causes tension. If we experience foot pain first thing in the morning and are concerned about flat feet, it is recommended to see a podiatrist to formally diagnose the condition. From there, they will be able to recommend therapy, stretching, and appropriate footwear to alleviate pain.
restless leg syndrome
People with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, low iron levels, and kidney failure may be familiar with restless leg syndrome, which causes foot pain at night.
With this condition, a dopamine imbalance confuses the nerves responsible for sending signals to the brain. More than just legs that can't seem to keep still, this syndrome also comes with burning, tingling, numbness, and pain after lying down. These symptoms occur from the waist down, including the feet.
Bunions
Bunions are hard deposits of bone on the side of the foot, just below the joint of the big or little toe (or even both). If left untreated, bunions can cause toe pain at night that feels like a shooting pain on the sides of the foot.
Swelling, morning stiffness, and pain in the affected finger joint are also common.
Bunion pain can feel different for everyone. The pain can range from mild to severe, and it can be constant or only flare up a few times. We may feel throbbing bunion pain at night in the big toe or pain that spreads to the ball of the foot throughout the day. Shooting pain may also be experienced if the swelling in the toe joint presses on a nerve.
If your big toe is bent inward and you squeeze the toe next to it, you may experience pain in multiple areas. There may also be pain where the actual bunion growth sticks out from the rest of the foot and rubs against the side of the shoe.
wrong shoes
Another reason may be that your shoes don't fit well. Get a new pair of shoes that fit you perfectly. Here are some tips to help you select comfortable shoes:
- Since your foot naturally expands during the day, go shoe shopping in the afternoon.
- When you try on your shoes, always wear the same type of socks at the store that you plan to wear with the shoes.
- Every time you buy new shoes, ask a salesperson to measure both feet for you. If one foot is larger, opt for a size that fits the larger foot.
- When you put on your shoes, make sure you have a little leeway in your toes. Ideally, you should have about a quarter of an inch of space between your longest toe and the bottom of the shoe.
- Take a quick walk around the store.
- The size of the shoe, which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Use your own comfort level to judge.
- The width of a shoe is just as important as the length. If your ball of foot feels crushed, ask if the shoe comes in a wider size.
Treatments
Foot pain may not require treatment by a health professional. Home remedies may be all that is needed to relieve foot pain. Some of them are:
- Hydration. Drinking water throughout the day can help keep us hydrated and prevent muscle cramps. Water also helps move fluids throughout the body to reduce the risk of swelling.
- Stretching Simple stretches, such as toe stretches and heel stretches, can help stretch the muscles and tendons in and around your feet.
- Exercise. Repetitive movements like walking, jogging, or running can cause foot pain, but sitting all day can also cause foot pain. You can improve circulation and stretch the muscles in your feet and legs by doing moderate exercise several times a week.
- Ice. For sharp, stabbing pain, we can place an ice pack on the feet. We will make sure to wrap the ice pack in a cloth so that the ice is not directly on the skin. We will leave the ice pack for 10 minutes and repeat every hour during the night.
- Massage. A gentle foot massage can help improve circulation and relieve tension in muscles and tissues.
- night splint. One of the key treatments for foot pain caused by plantar fasciitis is a night splint. This keeps the foot in a flexed position so the plantar fascia doesn't contract overnight. A contracted plantar fascia can mean a painful first step in the morning. The splint helps maintain the natural length of this critical tendon.